How to Learn a Tune By Hal Galper
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7/23/2019 How to Learn a Tune By Hal Galper http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/how-to-learn-a-tune-by-hal-galper 1/3 How To Learn A Tune By Hal Galper Learning tunes is more of a challenge for the contemporary jazz student than it was in my student days. The “casual” gigs we played to make the rent were usually dances, Bar Mitzvahs, weddings, restaurant gigs and the like. Fortunately, the tunes we played on these gigs were the same tunes from the classic American Standard song repertoire we played in jam sessions and jazz gigs. Tunes by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Jimmie van Heusen, etc. I used lug my fakebooks to every gig. The problem was, the band leaders would often call medleys which gave us no time to find the page in the books for a particular tune. Rather than wait for you they‟d say “fake it kid, fake it.” You„d listen to the bass and guitar player for the changes and the form and after a few choruses you‟d have most of it by ear. Any gaps in your knowledge would then be easily filled with a few questions like “What was the change in the third bar of the bridge?” I began my first semester at Berklee in 1955. I estimate that by 1960 I knew 1,000 tunes without the paper. Knowing so many tunes affords one a unique perspective that may be impossible for the contemporary student to acquire. Firstly; today‟s commercial gigs are generally “Top 40” tunes and not part of the standard jazz musicians repertoire. Secondly; only after you‟ve learned 1,000 tunes do you realize that there are really only about 20 song forms and every tune is a combination of segments of these 20 forms. This overview made it easier to learn (internalize) any new tune. Thirdly; the current proliferation of original music makes this overview more difficult to achieve. Thomas Mastroianni, in his very important article: Can Musical Memory be Manipulated? (Piano & Keyboard magazine (May/June 1997 issue) states; ”The manipulation of incoming musical stimuli most effectively promotes long term memory when it creates a synaptic connection to something in the semantic memory. Another way of say this is that new learning which is resonant with our musicianship can be remembered readily (often instantaneously) because it ties into something we already know.” “Let the melody be your guide” is sage advice for the jazz improvisor but may not be so for learning a tune as usually the melody is the most complex element of a tune and therefore the most difficult to memorize.
Transcript of How to Learn a Tune By Hal Galper
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How To Learn A Tune
By Hal Galper
Learning tunes is more of a challenge for the contemporary jazz student
than it was in my student days. The “casual” gigs we played to make therent were usually dances, Bar Mitzvahs, weddings, restaurant gigs andthe like. Fortunately, the tunes we played on these gigs were the sametunes from the classic American Standard song repertoire we played in jam sessions and jazz gigs. Tunes by Cole Porter, George Gershwin,Jimmie van Heusen, etc.
I used lug my fakebooks to every gig. The problem was, the bandleaders would often call medleys which gave us no time to find the pagein the books for a particular tune. Rather than wait for you they‟d say
“fake it kid, fake it.” You„d listen to the bass and guitar player for thechanges and the form and after a few choruses you‟d have most of it byear. Any gaps in your knowledge would then be easily filled with a fewquestions like “What was the change in the third bar of the bridge?”
I began my first semester at Berklee in 1955. I estimate that by 1960 Iknew 1,000 tunes without the paper. Knowing so many tunes affords onea unique perspective that may be impossible for the contemporarystudent to acquire. Firstly; today‟s commercial gigs are generally “Top
40” tunes and not part of the standard jazz musicians repertoire.Secondly; only after you‟ve learned 1,000 tunes do you realize that thereare really only about 20 song forms and every tune is a combination ofsegments of these 20 forms. This overview made it easier to learn(internalize) any new tune. Thirdly; the current proliferation of originalmusic makes this overview more difficult to achieve.
Thomas Mastroianni, in his very important article: Can Musical Memorybe Manipulated? (Piano & Keyboard magazine (May/June 1997 issue)states; ”The manipulation of incoming musical stimuli most effectively
promotes long term memory when it creates a synaptic connection tosomething in the semantic memory. Another way of say this is that newlearning which is resonant with our musicianship can be rememberedreadily (often instantaneously) because it ties into something we alreadyknow.”
“Let the melody be your guide” is sage advice for the jazz improvisor butmay not be so for learning a tune as usually the melody is the mostcomplex element of a tune and therefore the most difficult to memorize.
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Taking my que from Mastroianni I offer the following proposal: it is easierto learn a tune from it‟s simplest (key) aspects first, to it‟s most complex(melody) last. The more information you have about a tune the easier itis to learn because you have more knowledge to relate it‟s succeeding
elements to.
1. Learn the key.
2. Learn the meter.
4. Learn the length.
5. Learn the form. (AABA, ABA, etc.)
6. Learn the harmonic form. Where are the I chords, major and minor?
Once you have the I chords you know that every I chord is preceded byit‟s appropriate II-V.
7. Learn the first chord of every section. (AABA) Is it a I, II, or V chord?
8. Since the melody fits the chords, at this point you should have enoughinfo to begin learning the most difficult and complex part of a tune, themelody. It must be learned by rote. No short-cuts. Then test yourself.Can you sing the melody with and then without the chords being playedunderneath it?
It‟s almost impossible to memorize a tune isolated in a practice room. Ittakes at least three times of playing a tune in a performance context tolearn it. Performance gives you even more information to relate to. i.e.,the other instrumental parts (bass line, chordal accompaniment, hornmelodies, drum beats, etc.). Rhythm sections encounter morememorization difficulties as they usually don‟t get the opportunity to learnthe melody of a song as the horns are usually playing it. Every pianist,guitarist, bassist and drummer should know and be able to play the
melody of a tune.
The first two times use the paper, the third time, throw the paper awayand try to work from what you have in your head. Make mental notes ofwhat you can‟t remember and work on it later. It‟s important that you getaway from paper as soon as possible. When you‟re looking you‟re nothearing!
Confirm you have it memorized. The best time to review a tune is whenlaying in bed before going to sleep. At a certain point the mind goes into
it‟s “Alpha” state, which is the ideal mental state in which to work onmemorization. Go over all the aspects of the tune in the above order,
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making mental notes of what you can‟t remember, then work on themnext day.
ADDENDUM 07/06/12
Perhaps I should have entitled this article “How I Learn A Tune.” In truththere are many ways to learn a tune, depending on how good one‟s earsand memory are at a particular stage in one‟s development.
It is rumored that Red Garland could hear a tune once and have itinternalized.
Todd Barkin related the following to me: He was sitting in his office atIridium playing a recording of Bills original “Your Story” when AhmadJamal walked in. Upon hearing the tune Ahmad was overcome withemotion and asked him to play it again.
Some time later Todd was at an Ahmad record date where he recorded,perfectly, in one take, “Your Story” from memory from that time in Todd‟soffice. Todd was floored and told me “Geez, it‟s only got a Gazillionchanges!
